Giving meaning (1)
The idea that the world is large does not make sense to Lucy Mayril.
That’s why I always raise my head and look at the sea of stars above the sky.
The collar fluttering in the cool early fall wind brushes against the edge of my skin, making me feel strangely tickled.
The sight of her cunningly climbing onto the railing on the roof of the Obel Building and holding her witch’s hat down to prevent it from flying off has not changed since she entered school.
Next to him, a cat with white fur and a black tail cheerfully approaches and sits down.
Likewise, the cat perched on the railing tactfully let out a drowsy meow, then stared intently at the beef jerky that Lucy was mumbling about.
Lucy, who was quietly looking at the starry sky, saw a cat out of the corner of her eye, swallowed the beef jerky in one mouthful, and made a blank expression.
The cat, which had been sitting still, licked its own paw, as if it liked it. Lucy also looks at the sky casually.
To a great wizard who has reached the level of mastery of all people, the world is fleeting and meaningless.
The view from the rooftop of the Obelgwan alone makes it seem as if all the buildings in Sylvania are within one fist.
For no reason, I open my hand and reach out to the scenery. When I clenched my fist, something like a bachelor’s degree fell right into Lucy’s small hands.
The day will surely come when even this Sylvanian bachelor that Archmage Glokt was so obsessed with and tried to protect at all costs will disappear in vain.
A huge natural disaster, the trend of the times, and a fight for political interests. It doesn’t matter what the cause is. It is important that the outcome, which will disappear someday, does not change.
Even if he saves the bachelor from a few crises as requested by Glokt… The macro trend will never change.
That’s why Lucy Mayril sees stars.
Look up, not down.
Instead of being swayed by the fleeting ups and downs, I always see the stars and moon shining brightly in their place.
The Milky Way is captured in the blue eyes.
If this world was really created by an author named Telos, then why did he make everything in the world so changeable…? I want to ask whether the stars and the moon floating in the sky were made immutable.
What suddenly comes to mind is the face of a blunt blonde boy.
Lucy’s appreciation of life and the world is, from the boy’s point of view, just the sound of being full.
This is because for a boy, the worry of how to live tomorrow is more important.
All humans on earth are anxious to survive day by day.
Even if you escape from the problem of survival, whether you move forward toward the dream you have in your heart, whether you dedicate yourself to your children and future generations who will follow you, or whether you dedicate yourself to becoming a little stronger and reaching a higher level… In one way or another, we live fiercely in the earthly world.
However, it is a sight that does not apply to Lucy, who is detached from all such things.
‘Be the reason for my life’
Suddenly, a spicy and cold feeling came to the tip of her nose, and Lucy tightened her grip on the witch’s hat.
The words were said somewhat impulsively, but in any case, the time to be embarrassed has passed.
Above all, the first thing that comes to mind is a feeling of gratitude to the boy who nodded without much thought. Whatever Lucy’s concerns are, this boy will be there to worry about them together.
When you pronounce the name Ed Ross-Taylor in your mouth, the sight that eventually comes to mind is the back of him sitting alone in front of a campfire, sharpening his bow in solitude.
Therefore, Lucy asked herself one more time.
I said those words on impulse, but how could a boy named Ed Rosstaylor be the ‘reason’ for the life of a girl named Lucy Mayril?
No, what is a life with a reason in the first place, and what is a meaningful life?
After laying down the heavy burden of Archmage Glokt’s will, what meaning can be added to the empty life that will soon come?
Questions that had nothing to do with making a living came flooding back to Lucy, and she looked up at the sky again with sad eyes.
The Milky Way was stretching out and flowing into a sea of stars.
*
“I want to go to the monastery too.”
It’s a long-awaited weekend.
In order to learn bow making skills, he was busy training his repair skills.
That moment when I woke up early in the morning, inspected the camp, finished all the maintenance work, and was trimming my worn-out maid uniform.
The notice was so sudden that it could be said to be somewhat unexpected.
“… what?”
“I heard you are going to a monastery. “I want to go too.”
High, blue autumn sky. The sun floating in the sky warmly enveloped the midday camp.
Lucy was sleeping, resting on a tree stump, basking in the languid sunlight.
Nowadays it is no longer surprising that they are occasionally found taking a nap here and there.
Then, he wakes up with a listless expression on his face, sits down near the work table and looks at what I’m doing, or lies down on his stomach and says he doesn’t want to go to class… Well, most of them are everyday scenes.
However, most of them just look like they are bored with everything… Except for when he munches on beef jerky, he almost never asks for anything first.
So, the sudden announcement that he was going to a monastery like this could not help but feel unexpected to me.
“… “What do you want?”
“I just want to go.”
“… ”
It’s already been three days since Patricia Anna started messing around with reagents.
I was satisfied with all the wooden camping furniture and neat new equipment that Tracy Anna had brought as an apology. It looks like he asked Belle to find out in advance what I would be most satisfied with.
In addition, Bloom River provided materials for special magical engineering supplies, herbal ingredients, various dried fish that are easy to store, a machete that is helpful for survival, and high-quality repair tools that are helpful in repair training.
He then repeatedly presses Patricia’s head and tells her two or three times that he will never let something like this happen again… . Traceiana’s difficulties seemed to be visible in a series of processes that were so skillful.
Indeed, he is a renowned apology expert… .
There is no one in the world who becomes an apology expert just because they like it… .
It is a sight that brings tears to my eyes.
“First of all, let me start with the conclusion… “It won’t work.”
“… ”
“The Cleric Monastery is not a place that anyone can enter. “It’s a sanctuary in its own way, so it seems only authorized people can enter.”
Lucy’s mouth was already starting to squirm at my words. Still, if it can’t be done, it can’t be done.
It’s not an area I can decide in the first place.
“You go in. “Although I’m a man.”
“Because there was special permission from the saint. Moreover, the name was created by force. What was it… He is an expert on the special disease that the saint has been suffering from recently… Medical support… I heard they came up with such a strange title… ”
I don’t know the specifics of admission permission, as I have left it entirely up to Clarisse.
Anyway, my only goal is to attend the prayer meeting at Cleric’s Monastery and meet the Princess of Persica face to face.
“Well, I guess I could try to ask the saintess personally to make a name for her to accompany you. “It won’t work now, though.”
“no?”
“First of all, it’s a burden in itself, and it’s too late to make up reasons now since we’re leaving tomorrow in the first place.”
Lucy was on a tree stump, hugging her knees and making a grumpy expression.
He wants to be forceful, but he seems to know that being forceful doesn’t mean anything will happen.
“Don’t make that face. There is no way for me to do it. “Why do you want to go to a place like a monastery in the first place?”
“You’re going.”
“… ”
“I like this camp, but it feels empty without you. “I don’t like empty cabins without people.”
There is no way you don’t know the meaning contained in those words.
The archmage Glokt who took her in was also the one who built a hut in the Rameln Mountains and lived in seclusion.
The hut that was left empty after Glokt passed away must have felt empty to her.
“Then I don’t feel very good.”
“Anyway, I’ll be back in a few days, so don’t attach too much meaning to it. “Also, I got a pass in my bachelor’s degree, but if you leave Aken Island now, you’ll be missing out on all your classes.”
“I don’t mind missing a few days of class.”
“that… “That’s right.”
Lucy Mayril’s outstanding grades are not something that can be made up for by a few unexcused absences.
He is such a student that even undergraduate professors wonder why he attends an academy like this.
In fact, it is common for students who achieve beyond the bachelor’s level to continue attending Sylvania for a diploma.
“Anyway, I can’t get your permission now… I’m just taking a break on Aken Island. “I’m not doing anything big there, I’m just going to have some conversation and then come back.”
“What dare?”
“A story about Seong Chang-ryong.”
At those words, Lucy made a blank face again.
At this point, Lucy is the only one who talks about Seong Chang-ryong without hesitation.
“I am… I saw a future where Seong Chang-ryong destroyed Aken Island. And I also saw it become a reality.”
The story about the scenario given will be postponed.
In the first place, asking us to trust you this far is a story that goes beyond the realm of trust. It’s a good thing that he isn’t treated as mentally ill, and it’s too difficult to explain in the first place.
“Ordinary people would dismiss it as crazy. Ayla did the same. In fact, forcing someone to trust you is even more unconscionable.”
“… ”
“Still, there are only two people who can truly believe my prophecy without a single doubt. One is you. “One is Saint Clarice of the Telos Church.”
The memories of rewinding time together and confronting Seong Chang-ryong are fully shared only by those two people.
He is one of the few people who fully understands the seriousness of the situation and the reality of the matter.
Other than that, people who have trust in me. For example, if you say Yenika or Lortel… Even if you talk seriously, this sincerity will never come through.
I’m probably going to believe it, but… There is no way the seriousness could be conveyed accurately.
Face to face with the image of the Holy Spear Dragon that covers the sky and splits the ground, roaring, and ruminating once again on the fear of its flying scales… There is a distant difference between simply hearing a long, personal story.
“So, I’m going to ask Saint Clarice for help first. I didn’t have the chance to take a long time to explain the situation, but this might be the opportunity. “We will definitely organize what we need to do.”
“A thing to do… ?”
“In order to completely capture Velbroke, we must rally as many forces as possible. First of all, it can be said that imperial power and religious power are essential.”
I decided to share some of the pictures I was drawing with Lucy.
“First of all, the imperial power is divided into three branches. We need to unify these imperial forces and recruit them all as allies.”
“Are you saying you want to end the imperial dispute?”
“Originally, it should have ended long ago.”
At the end of the scenario, Princess Fenia becomes the leader of the imperial power by cutting out the cancer of the empire called Crepin Rothtaylor with her own hands.
In fact, it is also an opportunity to solidify the position of the next emperor.
However, as the scenario twisted and turned again and again, Princess Selaha survived, Princess Persica was completely ruled, and Princess Fenia even gave up her position as student council president.
In addition, the battle to subdue Crepin was fought so quickly that Princess Fenia did not even have a chance to accumulate merit.
I’m not really interested in her political vision or her qualifications as a monarch.
The key point is that even if the entire Imperial Knights were deployed to Aken Island, she was the only person capable of protecting the Bachelor from Bellbroke. She is the only person who listens to my opinion and listens to it to some extent.
In order to minimize the casualties of the bachelor, it would not be enough to deploy all of the Imperial Knights. The only person who would make her decision to that degree is she who lived her bachelor life for several years on Aken Island.
“This visit to the monastery is more of a preparatory work for the subjugation of Seongchangryong. therefore… “It’s actually quite important.”
“… okay.”
Lucy nodded with a somber expression as if she understood what I was saying.
However, his expression is still full of dissatisfaction. Although he didn’t express it to me in particular, it didn’t seem like he was relieved.
Looking at that, I didn’t feel very comfortable, so I consoled myself by pressing Lucy’s head.
*
“Here are some simple refreshments to have on the way. It is a snack made by marinating various seasonal fruits brought in from the County of Jahoor and fermenting them in honey… Since there are no likes or dislikes, it will suit your taste. Also, when you arrive at Cleric Monastery, would you please deliver this to Abbot Anje?”
The next morning, I stopped by the Ofilis building and asked Belle for a favor.
I received a box containing antique-packaged snacks and a gift whose contents were unknown.
As the representative face of Ofilis Hall, all the packaging was neat and luxurious.
“All applications for public admission have been submitted to the bachelor’s department. By the way, Cleric’s Monastery… It’s not that far away, but it’s not a place worth going during the semester. Since it’s my job to assist a saint, I can’t help it… To assist that saint directly… Ed looks great as expected~. Anyway, don’t worry about attending the bachelor’s degree and go back~”
Assistant Professor Claire’s personal laboratory, where I stopped by to give a public notice, was already in disrepair.
Also, because Professor Kalide had run away without doing his work, the amount of paperwork Anis had to deal with had doubled.
Assistant Professor Claire smiled brightly as she accepted my report, leaving behind Anise, who had a spark in her eyes.
It was the appearance of someone who had been liberated.
“Have a good and healthy stay. Don’t worry about camp. Now I know how to manage basic camp… “Don’t be surprised when you come back and see the clean camp!”
After being sent off by a smiling Yenika, I felt like my steps had become lighter.
In the past, I always felt anxious when I had to leave camp for a few days, but now that I have a companion who stays with me at camp, I feel much more at ease.
I am once again reminded of how blessed I am to have Jenica.
“All formalities have been completed. When you return next week, please receive the procedure here again. Student Ed Rosstaylor.”
And finally, I completed the formalities at the bachelor’s entrance in front of Maxes Bridge.
As I passed through the main gate and came towards the Maxes Bridge, I saw the carriage of a magnificent saint in front of me.
Of course, I’m not riding that carriage.
“The attendants ride separately in the carriage prepared over there.”
Within the Church of Telos, the weight of the saint’s name is so noble that it almost seems like it is equivalent to the name of Telos.
Therefore, the courtesy given to me, who was appointed directly by the saint and served as her assistant, was quite extreme.
A priest in holy attire politely guided me to the attendant’s carriage. The sight of him bowing his head politely was even more heartbreaking.
“The carriages on this side will gather together, form a line near the saint’s carriage, and head to their destination. “Mr. Ed doesn’t have anything else to do, and if there’s anything you’re uncomfortable with, you can just tell us.”
“no. Thank you for your consideration.”
“You can put your luggage on the wagon now. Well then, I’m off to check my other schedules… ”
The young priest bowed his head and left for the saint’s carriage.
As soon as Saint Clarice finished her tour of the cathedral, she came to Maxes Bridge and departed in that magnificent carriage.
We are still completing our schedule right before leaving for Cleric Monastery. Anyway, I am busy in many ways.
I was relatively relaxed, so after loading my luggage onto the wagon, I quietly watched the workers loading other loads.
Although the workers were in fairly good shape, they seemed to be struggling due to the large amount of luggage.
It’s embarrassing to be alone while everyone is working.
These are the people who will take care of my convenience in many ways during my upcoming schedule, so there is no benefit in looking at them with hate. I rolled up my sleeves and pushed the luggage the workers had brought into the carriage.
“Oh my, master. There is no need for you to use your own strength, but thanks to you, I survived.”
“Cluck, I thought you were from a noble family, but you have more arm strength than I thought. Are you a student in the combat club?”
When the good-looking workers smiled brightly and spoke to me, I appropriately replied that I was the Ministry of Magic and loaded the wooden bags and boxes onto the wagon.
The helping hands seemed to be invaluable in the midst of a busy schedule, and the workers continued to smile brightly and work faster.
“Well, you just need to move the bags over there. I heard that these are official gifts from the Ofilis Hall and the academic department to the denomination… “If there are any scratches, it could be a problem, so let’s move it carefully.”
It seems that in addition to gifts sent privately by Bell, there were also gifts sent as part of public exchanges.
I picked up a wooden box of a good size and lifted it with a nod.
“Uh, ugh..”
What is so heavy?
I thought it was the right size, but it was heavier than I expected, so I had to adjust it slightly.
“Oh my, master. I’m tired. I’m tired. This is a big help, so stop playing with your precious hands and get in the carriage… !”
“When I picked up that box earlier, it wasn’t that heavy… I must have lost a lot of energy. “There is nothing good about overexerting yourself and only accumulating fatigue, so it would be better to rest.”
“Cancer. We are people who are paid to do these things, but isn’t the Master the one who assists that important saint? “If your precious body gets hurt, our hearts hurt even more!”
The compassionate workers were almost dissuading them to do it in moderation. He was a box that didn’t seem very heavy… There is certainly no good thing in overdoing it.
I bowed appropriately and pushed myself into the carriage. If you do this, there will be no problem.
With that in mind, let’s get on the carriage… A girl with a familiar face was sitting across from her.
“The cathedral workers are very kind, aren’t they? I also feel proud when I see it~. By the way, you have great strength. Senior Ed. I heard that most people can’t keep up with the pace at which those workers work… ”
“… What are you doing here… What are you doing… ”
I was about to say something polite, but I quickly picked it up and put it away.
The girl with chestnut brown hair sitting across from me is an immature noble girl who is currently a member of the first year of Sylvania.
It was Kylie Acne.
“I am also going to assist Saint Clarice.”
“… ”
“I ran in a hurry to go on a carriage ride with my senior.”
Seeing Kylie smiling as if she was the happiest in the world left me speechless.
“I want to have a lot of conversations with senior Ed before arriving at the Cleric Monastery.”
“That’s why you even bothered to do something like this… ”
“You have something important to say, right? “I felt that he was trying to say something from the camp last time.”
When and where did you notice it?
Inside the innocent girl’s eyes, there was a subtle sense of the weight of a saint in charge of the entire Telos Church.
“Can you tell me honestly? I am… “Because I’m ready to listen to what my senior says.”
The coachman got into the driver’s seat and swung his whip.
So the carriage… We slowly moved towards the monastery.
